Justified
by protejerinnocencia
Summary: Severus Snape wrestles with past feelings of guilt over failing his younger sister. Now he encounters the root of this guilt. The old an eye for an eye principle is at the forefront of the Potions Master's mind. Evan Whitlaw will pay for the pain he has c


**Justified**

_She let out a sigh as her quill continued its path across the piece of parchment. She stopped to rest her aching hand. Lazily, Sierra turned the page in her textbook and began to scan the words on the page. It just wasn't registering. She didn't want to be here in detention. She didn't want to write this stupid essay. With a groan of defeat she laid her head down on the book. She sat there in this position for sometime. She was sure that she had fallen asleep because suddenly there were loud footsteps echoing on the floor. Sierra sat up and began furiously scribbling on her parchment. She most certainly would have points docked if she was not done by the time he returned. Her hand was cramping but she would not stop writing. She would not disgrace her house. The footsteps suddenly stopped._

Professor Evan Whitlaw headed back to his classroom, a contented smile on his youthful features. He stopped short of the door, knowing the person inside would take notice. Wishing for an element of surprise, he silenced his footsteps and went around to the door to his office. Soundlessly, he opened the door and strode into the classroom. Sierra sat at a table, feverishly writing. He summoned a chair and sat down directly behind the young witch. He'd been watching her for a while now, waiting for some way to get her alone. Detention had served to be his best avenue. Rubbing his hands together he leaned forward and placed them on her bare neck.

Immediately, Sierra put down her quill and spun around, staring wide eyed at her Professor. She gave him a confused stare for several seconds before finally speaking.

"What are you doing?" she asked nervously.

"Just relax," Evan whispered soothingly, cupping her cheek with his hand.

"I'm sorry. I didn't finish the essay yet. Please don't dock points," she begged, hoping she could keep herself together.

"Forget the essay. Here give me your hand," he instructed.

She complied hesitantly. He took her small hand in his larger ones and began rubbing his fingers back and forth over her palm and knuckles, working out all of the tension and sore muscle. She stared at his face, his dark black hair and vibrant blue-green eyes. She knew she should leave but she couldn't. Something inside of her was urging her to stay. Once her writing hand had been sufficiently worked on, he took the other one and gave it the same treatment. She let out a small sigh as she leaned back, her neck and shoulders stiff from hunching over her book for so long. Without a word, Evan moved his hands slowly up her arms, massaging as he went until he reached her neck. Back at his intended point of origin, he began kneading the skin around the base of her skull. With is foot, he pulled her chair closer to him and with a barely audible utterance, the back of her chair had disappeared. Sierra let out a sudden gasp as she felt the back of her chair evaporate into thin air.

"Lean back," Evan cooed, moving his hands now to her shoulders.

She did as she was told. He was a very good masseuse; she had to give him that. It didn't occur to her that she was now laying in the lap of her 24-year-old Professor and that he was working his magic on her lower back. She gave a noise of contentment and he smiled, deftly moving his hands around to the front of her. He leaned his lips dangerously close to her ear.

"Are you ticklish?" he questioned.

"No," she answered in a hushed tone with a hint of a giggle.

He ran his hands up her abdomen, letting his fingertips dance lightly along the way. She giggled briefly. He ran his fingers up and down her stomach several times, as if playing a washboard. He managed to elicit a toothy smile from the girl reclined in his lap.

"Let's keep this our little secret ok?" he ordered suddenly.

"Ok," she answered automatically.

"Good," he murmured as he let his hands wander up to rest on her budding breasts, his lips meeting the side of her neck.

Suddenly the door burst open to reveal a pale-skinned, dark haired sixth-year Slytherin boy bearing a striking resemblance to the girl in the room. For a moment all he could do was stare in awe, then disgust and then hatred. He moved towards them, his wand drawn, shaking violently.

"Get you disgusting hands off of my sister!" he roared, stopping only two or three paces from them.

Evan's head jerked up at the sound of the boy's voice. He did not remove his hands. His ocean-like gaze locked onto the teenager's dark onyx almost daring the boy to cast a spell. Just then Sierra opened her eyes and saw her brother standing beside her, looking almost ready to explode. She looked around confused. In one fluid motion Severus had her by the arm and was pulling her away from the young man. He placed himself between them.

"If you ever go near her again I swear I will kill you," he spat before spinning on his heel, taking Sierra's hand and escorting her from the room.

They walked in static silence until they reached the Slytherin Common Room. It was rather late for a detention to run an everyone else was already in bed. Once he made sure no one was listening he rounded on the young girl.

"What the bloody hell was going on in there!" he bellowed, letting his anger out.

"I don't know," Sierra answered meekly.

"I was writing my essay for detention…and then…you were there," she continued, her gaze cast towards the floor.

"That memory loss shit may work on Mum and Dad but it doesn't work on me Sierra," Severus shot back.

"I'm not lying!" she shot back, her temper starting to rise to match his.

"Look at me," he ordered.

"No. Stay out of my mind you jerk," she hissed trying to get past her older sibling.

He caught her by the arm and forced her to look at him. In an instant he saw all that had happened. He could see the clouded fog of memory manipulation. He then did something he rarely did. Severus pulled her to him in a hug.

"You're squishing me," she complained.

"I'm going to kill that prick," he growled.

"Why?" she asked, shocked, backing up to look at him.

"He hurt you! And he made sure you didn't' remember it!" he railed, summoning his portable pensieve into the room.

Hastily he transferred what he had seen in her head to the basin and stirred it up so that it would replay. After the memory concluded he looked at the 13-year-old next to him. She was ghostly pale and shaking, large tears streaming down her face.

"Oh god," she cried, throwing herself at Severus.

"I'm not letting him touch you ever again. I promise," he said softly, stroking her soft hair.

"I'm going to walk you to and from your classes and anywhere else you have to go. He isn't going to get the chance to come near you," Severus concluded firmly before bidding her goodnight.

He found her sobbing her heart out in a dark alcove on the third floor. He put his books down on the ground and squeezed himself in with her. For a moment he said nothing, simply wrapping his arm around her quivering shoulders.

"What's wrong?" he posed softly.

"I…I…I'm scared," she sobbed.

It had been four months since that dreadful detention. Severus had done well in keeping his baby sister safe from that menace. Or so he thought. Little did he know that two weeks after the incident when he'd been forced to leave her side to serve detention for McGonagall, Whitlaw had made his move.

"Why are you scared?" he asked.

"I…I know like I just started getting it and everything but I don't think its normal to go four months without getting it," she wailed, turning her head and sending a river onto her older brother's shoulder.

"Shouldn't you…err…talk to a girl about that sort of thing. I really don't care to know," he said matter-of-factly.

"Sev…I think…I think I might be pregnant," she choked out.

"What!" he erupted.

He stood and stared at the tear-stained girl sitting huddled away from the world. He searched his memory for any time he had left her side since the incident. He finally hit upon that detention with McGonagall.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" he begged, now kneeling so he was at her eye level.

"I don't know. I'm sorry. I don't know what to do," she moaned, consumed now by loud hiccups.

"You should go see Madam Pomfrey. I'll walk you there and then I have to go do something," Severus whispered cryptically as he took Sierra by the hand.

The pair arrived at the Hospital Wing and Severus briefed the mediwitch on the situation. Once He had promised Sierra multiple times that he would be shortly, he exited the wing and began storming towards Professor Whitlaw's office. He was however intercepted by Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Snape. Where are you going in such a hurry?" she asked authoritatively.

"To see Professor Whitlaw. He and I have something very urgent to discuss," Severus answered, trying as hard as he could to control his raging temper.

"Professor Whitlaw is not here," she stated.

"Not here! Where the bloody hell is he?" Severus spat.

"Watch your language Mr. Snape. He is attending to a personal matter," Minerva said, so as not to give the student before her too much detail.

"Personal matter my arse," he seethed as he stormed off.

When he returned, both of his parents were sitting by his sister. His father looked up at the footsteps and immediately stood and made his way towards his oldest offspring.

"How could you let this happen to her!" Tobias ground out, raising his hand.

"Don't blame me! Blame Potter and his damned friends. They're the ones who got me in detention," Severus shot back, dodging the incoming hand.

"Tobias! Leave him alone," Eileen said.

"It's not his fault Dad," Sierra piped up from the bed.

"She doesn't remember who did it," Eileen explained to her son.

"I know damn well who did it. But he's conveniently disappeared," Severus hissed menacingly.

"Sev. I'm so sorry. I was just going to the bathroom and then…" Sierra began.

"It's not your fault. That bastard took advantage of you," Severus interrupted, laying a hand on her arm.

"I'm sorry to do this to you all but she needs to rest. She's gotten very worked up and it's not healthy for the child," Poppy said, ushering the girl's family out.

The next five months passed in agony, especially for Severus. Curiously, Professor Whitlaw was gone for the remainder of the term, attending to his pressing personal matter. Severus knew the filthy scum was just avoiding him. It was a hot early summer evening when his father rushed his sister to the hospital. Severus had desperately wanted to be there with her but his mother had insisted against it. His father would be enough support. They were gone for a day and a half. Finally at six in the morning, the phone blared, startling Eileen from sleep. Severus had not slept since his father and sister had left. It rang once more before she found the contraption and picked it up. She was still not entirely used to the few muggle devices they had in the house. Severus walked into the room just in time to catch his mother as she fell to the floor. He laid her on the bed and took the phone from her hand.

"What did you say to her?" he demanded.

"She…she died," his father's voice said through mumbled sobs.

"Don't you dare bullshit me," Severus howled, hoping against hope his father was simply playing a cruel joke on him.

"She didn't make it through delivery," Tobias gasped, emitting loud sniffs.

"Sierra…is dead?" Severus breathed, tears stinging his eyes.

"What about the baby?" Severus questioned softly.

"They don't know," the man replied.

"Get your mother and get here as soon as you can," was the last thing he heard his father say.

He roused his mother from her faint and they disapparated together to the hospital. They bypassed security and nurses as they sprinted up to the delivery floor. They were met there by Tobias who led them to the room where Sierra was. Severus rushed to her side and took her cold hand in his, tears soaking her ghastly pale forearm. He had let her down. He had broken his promise. In that moment, he vowed to find the man responsible for this and make him pay. It took several doctors plus his father to pry him away from her lifeless form. His father took him from the room and led him down to the nursery where he pointed out his grandson.

"He doesn't have a name," Tobias whispered, as if he was afraid talking too loud would startle the newborn.

"Sawyer. She always loved that name," Severus answered in a monotone.

After a half hour and being joined by Eileen, the family of three left the hospital to mourn in the privacy of their home. Three days later, they received a call from the head doctor of the neonatal intensive care unit. Sawyer had died that morning. Severus had taken the call.

"You goddamned useless bunch of bastards! You let that child die! Murderers!" he screamed into the receiver, his voice cracking in his raw emotion.

He had been pulling for his nephew. Now they would have to bury two innocent people. He hung up with a loud 'slam' and stormed up to his room, slamming the door shut. He flung himself on his bed and cried like he had never done. He would avenge their deaths.

Severus stepped back and stared at the small pensieve. He stored it in his pocket, balling his hands into fists. He had a renewed lust for blood. He was already a wanted man. Why not just add another life to it. He had been searching, hunting down Evan Whitlaw since Sierra and Sawyer's deaths. The former Professor had proved extremely elusive and Severus had finally concluded that eh had fled the country. But he now knew that the man was back. Severus would be waiting for him. Like clockwork, an older but still attractive Evan Whitlaw turned the corner of the building. Severus emerged from the shadows and obstructed the older man's path.

"Excuse me," Evan said, trying to move past the dark robed man in his way.

"You aren't going anywhere, Professor," Severus hissed, drawing out the last word purposely.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not a teacher," Evan protested.

Severus grabbed him by the front of his coat and flung him into the alley and against the wall. Severus's nose was mere centimeters from Evan's, their eyes locked like they had been so many years ago.

"Don't play dumb with me. You molested, raped and impregnated my baby sister you sick fuck," Severus snarled.

It then clicked in Evan's head. He swallowed nervously and tried to get away but was held fast by his former pupil. He cracked a smile and began to laugh softly at first. Soon it erupted into loud gales.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to dwell on the past Severus?" he asked.

"Because of you, my sister died at the age of 13 during childbirth. _Your_ son died three days later," Severus snarled, pulling his wand out.

"She was a very beautiful girl," Evan murmured with a distant look in his eyes.

"She was nothing more than a child and you took that from her! You tore my family apart," Severus seethed in a barely audible voice.

"I've been waiting for you. I've been looking…hunting you down. You are going to pay for what you did to her," Severus said, eerily calm.

"So it's true. You did turn Death Eater," Evan said with a nod.

"You stray from the topic, _Sir_," Severus snarled, a mocking in his voice as he said the last word. He sent the man stumbling towards the opposite wall.

"I'll make it fair. You can draw your wand before I kill you," Severus remarked coolly.

"You're insane," Evan shouted, drawing his wand nonetheless.

Severus smirked, leveled his wand and sent a spell hurtling through space and time towards the rapist of his sister. The spell hit dead on and the man crumpled to the ground, blood oozing everywhere. Severus stood over him and spat.

"You're going to die nice and slow and painfully. And no one is going to save you," he growled as he walked away.

He made his way to the small cemetery plot that belonged to his family. He walked right past ancient ancestors and distant aunts, uncles and cousins. He stood before two very important graves, two graves that should never have been.

"He won't hurt you ever again. I kept my promise Sierra. I made him pay dearly," Severus muttered to the silent air.

He laid a small white rose at each of their graves before turning to leave. He was after all a wanted man. And wanted men didn't wander freely in cemeteries.


End file.
